Adjustable lamp holder



Oct. 16, 1928. Y 1,688,148

A. R. MARTIN ADJUSTABLE LAMP HOLDER Filed March 11, 1926 Patented Oct. 16, 1928.`

UNITED STATES ABNER R. MARTIN, F CHESTER, VERMONT.

ADJUSTABLE LAMP HOLDER.

Application led March 11, 1926. Serial No. 93,825.

l' A relative to a vehicle or other support, and

its light may be projected in various directions and maintained where projected.

I attain this object by the improvements hereinafter described andc-laimed. Of the accompanying drawings forming part of this speciication,- v I5 Figure 1 is a side view of a lamp holder embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2*-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fivure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view similar to a portion of Figure 2 showing a modification, the jaws being engaged with a support.

Figures 6 and 7 are side views on a reduced scale, each showingthe holder engaged with a support, and a lamp engaged with thel "holder, j The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

In the drawings, 12 designates a tubular standard, to one Vend portion of which is fixed an inner jaw v14 projecting laterally from by an internally threaded socket 15 formed .on the inner end of the jaw, and engaged wi an external thread on the standard as shown by Figures 2 and 5.

16 designates a slide movable in ythe standard.` Fixed to the slide is an outer clamping ljaw 17 projecting llaterally from the slide and the standard, and adapted to cooperate with the inner jaw 14 in grasping anmterposed support, such as a` mud guard 18 (Figure 6), or a windshield frame19 (Figures 5 and 7), the jaws holding the standard substantially perpendicular to the support. The standard fand'slide are pro vided with means for 'reventing rotation of the slide in the stan ard and maintainlng the outer jaw in position to cooperate with `the inner jaw.; I4 Prefer `to embody said means in a guidingy slot 20` (Figures v,2 and 551 4) in the outer s ide of' the standard, this the standard and preferably fixed thereto being the side from which the jaws project, and a shanlrportion 17a connecting the jaw 17 with the slide and formed to move in the slot 20. If desired, however, said means may be embodied, as shown by Figure 5 in a slot 21 formed in the inner side of the standard, and a screw or stud 22 fixed to the slide and formed to run in the slot 21, the stud 22 being fixed to a sleeve 23 formed on the inner end of the jaw 17 and slidable on the external surface of the standard 12.

24 designates a spring acting on the slide 16 to press the outer jaw 17 toward the inner jaw 14, said spring being interposed between one end of the slide and an abutment 25 fixed within the standard 12.

It will be seen that the outer jaw 17 may be manually retracted from the inner jaw 14 sufficiently to enable the jaws to be applied to opposite sides of a support, the jaws being 75 caused by the spring'24 to grasp the support when the inner jaw is released by the operator and the spring is thus permitted to project the inner jaw. T o facilitate the manual retraction ofthe slide and the jaw 17, I provide the slide with a handle 26, which, in the preferred construction shown by Figure 2, extends through a slot 27 formed in the standard opposite the slot 20. ward pressure of a digit of the operators and on the handle 26 causes the retraction of the jaw 17. To enable said pressure to be easily applied, I provide the outer end portion of the standard 12 with a laterally projecting rest 29 for another digit of the 'operators hand, the arrangement being` such that a finger 30 may bear on the rest, while the thumb 31 of the same hand exerts pressure on the handle 26, the finger', bearing on the rest, reventing the kstandard from moving w. endwise with the thumb when the latter is retractinv the slide and its jaw. The rest 29 may he' formed on a sleeve 2911 pinned to the standard 12.

\ The end portion of the standard 12 opposite the end from which the jaw 14 projects is provided with an automatically contracted frictional socket forming an element of a ball-and-socket joint. Said socket is formed by a semi-spherical contracted end portion 32 ,of the standard, and a Shoe 33 (Fi ure 2) movable in the standard.` and yielilingly pressed by a spring 34 toward the contracted portions32, the spring bearino' at one end on the shoe and at the other en on lun the abutment 25. The shoe has a cupped outer face 35 as shown by Figure 2, said face and the end portion 32 forming a substantially spherical normally contracted frictional socket adapted to conform to the ball member hereinafter described. The socket portion 32 is provided with a neck-receiving mouth formed by the portions 41 and 42, shown by Figures 1, 2 and 3. 38 designates a lamp-engaging member which is preferably an arcuate resilient strip or clip 38, adapted to yieldingly embrace a lamp body 39. Said member is provided with a shank including a neck 40` extending through the mouth, and a ball 37 fixed to the neck, and rictionally confined by the socket in any position to which it may be turned therein.

The neck 40 and the mouth portions 41 and 42 are formed to permit a limited uni. versal swinging movement of the member 38, as indicated by full and'dotted lines in Figures 1, 2 and 3, said member being maintained in either of the positions shown, and in other positions, by the frictional bearing of the shoe 33 on the ball. The neck- 40 and the ball 37 constitute a trunnion fixed to the clip 38. Said trunnion is movable in the mouth 41 and slots 42, the arrangement being such that the trunnion may swing in the slots and mouth from side to side of the standard, so that the cli may be located at either of two diametrica ly opposite sides of the standard, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 2, and at various intermediate positions, one of which is shown by full lines. The trunnion is adapted to turn on its own axis when the clip is in any position to which it may be swung. The slots 42 permit swinging movements of much greater amplitude than are permitted by the mouth 41.

It will be seen that a lamp 39 engaged with the clip 38, may be pointed universally, there being practically no limit to the directions in which the lamp may be pointed by swinging and axial movements of the trunmon.

The terminal may be formed to engage differently formed lamps, the lamp here shown being an ordinary flash light. It may be a spot light or a so-called trouble light, supplied with current from a source on a motor vehicle. The jaws 14 and 17 may have any suitable form whereby they are adapted to grasp different parts of a motor vehicle or other support. The inner jaw 14 is preferably a single arm having a recess 14b in. its inner side, while. the jaw 17 is preferably wider than the inner aw and provided with an opening 44 (Figure 4), the portions of the jaw forming two sides of said opening being provided with recesses 17".

The neck portion 40 of the trunnion is cylindrical and its diameter is less than the width of the opening 41 and slots 42, so that the trunnion is adapted to be rotated on its own axis when it and the clip are in any position to which they are bodily movable. The lamp body or member 39 may therefore be rotatively adjusted, so that its longitudinal axis may extend in any desired direction, when the clip is in either of the described positions. The trunnion is fixed to the midlength portion of the clip 38 and is relatively short, so that the socket which is rigidly supported in a predetermined position, is in closeproximity to the clip and is adapted to frictionally maintain the clip and the lamp member in any position to which they are movable, there being no liability of accidental displacement of the clip and lamp member, by the weight of the latter.

I claim:

A lamp-holder comprisin a tubular standard having means where y it may be confined in a' predetermined position on a support and provided with a contracted outer end having a mouth coaxial with the standard, and diametrically opposite slots opening into the mouth, a spring-pressed shoe Within the standard, said shoe and contracted end forming a ball-shaped frictional socket, and a lamp-supporting clip having free end portions between which a lamp member is insertible, and a trunnion projecting from the midlength portion of the clip and composed of a ball adapted to turn in said socket, and a. neck connecting the ball with the clip, the trunnion being movable bodily and rotatable in the said mouth and slots, the arrangement being such that the trunnion may swing in the slots and mouth from side to side of the standard, so that the clip may be located at either of two diametrically opposite sides of the standard, and in various intermediate positions, the trunnion being adapted to turn on its'own axis to permit rotative adjustment of the clip, and various angular positions of a lamp member held thereby, when the clip is in either of said positions, the clip and its trunnion being arranged to hold a lamp member in close proximity socket is adapted to rictionally maintain the clip and the lamp member in any posi-' tion to which they are movable.

In testimonyv whereof I have affixed my signature.

ABNER R. MARTIN.

to said frictional socket, so that the 

